Getting From Here to There

Well, now that I have made the commitment the one question remains: getting from here to there. How will it be done.

One of the keys to success, I believe, is humility. What that means to me is being smart enough to say to you don't know it all. In the past, as my parents, siblings and everyone else who knows me, can attest to is that I always jumped feet first with no parachute. Translation: once the newness wore off, so did I. I didn't know how to keep it going.  I would go into things with little or no knowledge and expect to make it work. Duh: Wall meet Head.

So with the two most important things in my life, my physical goal of becoming stronger and my career and financial goals of expanding and growing my business (not worried about the financial really b/c with one comes the other - I believe), I humble myself and look to others who have gone before.

Now with the health and fitness stuff I have to admit that it is very confusing. There is so much information out there. Just the diets alone are enough to fill a library all by themselves. The Atkins, The Zone, Cabbage Soup, Weight Watchers, T.O.P.S., Jenny Craig, Medical Weight Loss, Low Carb, No Carb, If It's White, Don't Bite... I mean it makes me crazy. So I had to do a little research for myself, consult with professionals and the meld the two.

I understand that our bodies need carbs. There is no getting around it. Carbs are essential to fueling our body. It's the type of carbs we put into our bodies that makes the difference. Now I am a carb junkie. I love hard, crunchy carbs. I love breads. And guess what: both are bad for you. But as I researched, I discovered that the best carbs for you are the carbs that come from fruits and vegetables. Now, I would say that 90% of my daily carb intake comes from that source. I allow 10% for a white, flour tortilla with my egg scramble in the morning or two slices of bread for sandwich, if I so choose. Hey, it works for me.

Our bodies need protein to create muscle strength. So my primary source of protein is 80% chicken and fish and 20% red meat. I like red meat and I am not going to apologize for it. A good medium rare steak really hits the spot. That, and a Miller Lite. Out of the bottle.

I now tend to stay away from cereals but allow myself the occasional bowl of oatmeal with blueberries or whatever fruit I want, topped with honey. Yum!

So a morning breakfast, for me, will generally consist of one egg scrambled, organic spinach, red pepper and feta cheese. I love the salty flavor the feta adds and the meal itself just tastes great. I am a creature of habit. And that is now my morning habit.

A lunch may consist of a tuna or egg salad sandwich and dinner will be either soup that I made on Sunday that carries our household till Tuesday when I end up making the chicken or fish dinner or mix up some fancy vegetarian meal that I just threw together. I get creative to keep it fresh.

I also have a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack, if I so desire. That will consist of a yogurt, piece of fruit or some nuts (a handful).

So that's my meal plan. Nothing elaborate or very complicated. Keeping it simple. Works for me.

As far as my work out goes:

Mondays and Fridays - 60 minutes of cardio/strength at the gym. I have to confess this is not your Jane Fonda workouts from the 80's. These are mini boot camps designed to challenged every ounce of your being. I love it.

Tuesdays and Thursdays - 60 minutes of strength/weight training. I watch the personal trainers in the gym working others and steal ideals from them. Works for me. Then I round out the afternoon with a 3 to 4 mile run to keep my body condition for road running.

Wednesdays are optional rest days. Meaning if I want to rest I do. If I feel the need to move, I swim. That makes it easier on my joints and even though it works my muscles, I find it very soothing with no fatigue.

Saturdays are my long runs starting now at 3 miles. I have to condition myself for being outside. But when I was a creature of habit with my running, my longs runs got up to 10 miles. My goal before the I hit the marathon will be to run at least one 15 mile long run. We shall see.

The foundation is there. The commitment is there. Keeping my heart and mind connected will be the challenge. Failure, I believe, is the disconnect between the two. That's not to say that I have to work at because I do. As I physically move toward my goals (both health and career) I have to see it mentally in my mind. I have to visualize myself, everyday, doing and working and moving toward it. I have to hear myself say repeatedly: this is my future, this is my destiny. Only I can do this. The challenge will be doing it when I don't want to do it.

So there it is, my plan. I am the only one who has to work it.  I think it's successful so far: I am down 17 pounds and I didn't gain any weight over the holidays.  That's success in my eyes.

Be good and well!